{"id":61823,"date":"2021-06-17T08:38:45","date_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:38:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/?p=61823"},"modified":"2021-06-17T08:38:45","modified_gmt":"2021-06-17T14:38:45","slug":"meet-the-orthodox-mom-competing-on-american-ninja-warrior","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/meet-the-orthodox-mom-competing-on-american-ninja-warrior\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet the Orthodox mom competing on \u2018American Ninja Warrior\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>By JACQUELINE RODERICK<\/p>\n<p>(Kveller via JTA) \u2013 If you\u2019re in need of inspiration today, look no further than Orthodox mom of four Liba Yoffe, who is competing in the current season of \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_61824\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61824\" class=\"wp-image-61824 size-medium lazyload\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior-300x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"295\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior.jpg 690w\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" style=\"--smush-placeholder-width: 300px; --smush-placeholder-aspect-ratio: 300\/295;\" \/><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-61824\" class=\"wp-image-61824 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior-300x295.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"295\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior-300x295.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/6-16-2021-American-Ninja-Warrior.jpg 690w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/noscript><\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-61824\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Liba Yoffe (Courtesy of Yoffe)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Yoffe, 35, is the apparently first Orthodox Jewish woman to participate in the popular fitness competition \u2014&nbsp;now in its 13th season on NBC \u2014 which pushes its athletic contestants to their limits with incredibly difficult obstacle courses.<\/p>\n<p>While many athletes apply to be on the show, Yoffe is clearly an exceptional case. Her audition video stands out as a testament to her strength \u2014 and we don\u2019t just mean the&nbsp; physical kind. (Although it must be said: Yoffe may be just 4 feet, 11 inches tall, but she is incredibly, amazingly, strong and fit!) Yoffe also draws an incredible amount of strength from her deep love of and respect for Orthodox Jewish tradition.<\/p>\n<p>The audition video begins with Yoffe being introduced by her teenage daughter, Tehilla, who has alopecia and whom Yoffe credits with being the original source of her fitness inspiration. When her daughter was diagnosed at age 2 with the condition, which causes hair loss, Yoffe promised herself to become a confident and strong role model for her daughter \u2014&nbsp;and she has only positively influenced more women since.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ninja Warrior - ANW Season13 Submission Video\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/rBk15PQVdkQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" data-load-mode=\"1\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Throughout her fitness journey, Yoffe noticed that there was something missing in her religious community: the bridge between women in athletics and their commitment to their faith. Rather than exist outside of each other, Yoffe wants to show girls and women that devotion to religion and fitness can live harmoniously together.<\/p>\n<p>Yoffe, who grew up in an Orthodox community in Far Rockaway, New York, and now lives in Phoenix, is living proof these passions can coexist. \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior\u201d is not her first time participating in a fitness competition \u2014 previously she had trained to be a powerlifter, beating records and making great progress in her lifting journey. But none of that mattered when she was barred from competing because the judges would not allow her to wear a skirt and sheitel (wig). It\u2019s tradition for many Orthodox women to dress modestly, and the judges refused to make any religious exceptions for Yoffe, even after repeated requests.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s one of the reasons that she applied to compete on \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior.\u201d As Yoffe explains in the video: \u201cI believe I can be the one that can show women and girls all over the world that it is possible to maintain your faith, and compete in athletics, and thrive, and be a strong, powerful woman inside and out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yoffe has devoted herself to empowering women in everything she does. She is the founder and CEO of Spirit Fit Life, a fitness business dedicated toward helping women find their \u201cstrength from the inside out\u201d through wellness, mindful eating and exercise. Yoffe tells Hadassah Magazine: \u201cMindset coaching is also a big part of what we do \u2026 You can\u2019t have lasting change without digging deep into shifting your habits and personal triggers. This is not a diet or a one-size-fits-all program. We start on the inside because that\u2019s where true transformation begins.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Yoffe is also a certified childbirth educator and a doula. Now that\u2019s a Jewish mom who can do it all!<\/p>\n<p>Yoffe also notes that in stark contrast to the powerlifting competition, \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior\u201d was \u201cvery accommodating.\u201d The producers provided kosher food and even moved dates around for her. They even seemed to emphasize her faith, getting her full skirt in the shots, which Yoffe says made her feel proud.<\/p>\n<p>While this is her first time partaking in a competition like \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior\u201d \u2014 that would make her colloquially known as a \u201cbeginning ninja\u201d \u2014 she says it will not be her last time competing, telling Hadassah: \u201cThis time next year \u2026 it\u2019s going to be a whole different story.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>According to her Instagram, Yoffe isn\u2019t sure if or when she will appear on the air. (According to Hadassah, only about 30% of contestants see their competition air.) But given her incredible story, we at Kveller will absolutely be watching \u201cAmerican Ninja Warrior\u201d to look out for her! (The show airs on Mondays. There are still two rounds of \u201cNinja\u201d qualifiers to come, on June 21 and 28.)<\/p>\n<p>Whatever happens with the competition, we want to wish Liba a hearty mazel tov on her incredible achievements. We can\u2019t wait to see what she does next!<\/p>\n<div style=\"padding-bottom:20px; padding-top:10px;\" class=\"hupso-share-buttons\"><!-- Hupso Share Buttons - https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/ --><a class=\"hupso_toolbar\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hupso.com\/share\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" class=\"lazyload\" \/><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/buttons\/share-medium.png\" style=\"border:0px; padding-top: 5px; float:left;\" alt=\"Share Button\"\/><\/noscript><\/a><script type=\"text\/javascript\">var hupso_services_t=new Array(\"Twitter\",\"Facebook\",\"Google Plus\",\"Pinterest\",\"Linkedin\",\"Tumblr\",\"Email\");var hupso_background_t=\"#EAF4FF\";var hupso_border_t=\"#66CCFF\";var hupso_toolbar_size_t=\"medium\";var hupso_image_folder_url = \"\";var hupso_url_t=\"\";var hupso_title_t=\"Meet%20the%20Orthodox%20mom%20competing%20on%20%E2%80%98American%20Ninja%20Warrior%E2%80%99\";<\/script><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"https:\/\/static.hupso.com\/share\/js\/share_toolbar.js\"><\/script><!-- Hupso Share Buttons --><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":61824,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7139,1884],"tags":[11441,8790,8795,11440,8788],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61823"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=61823"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61823\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":61825,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61823\/revisions\/61825"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/61824"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=61823"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=61823"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.crescentcityjewishnews.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=61823"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}